Gaping holes in potential leadership roles

Dark clouds concerning the relatively less younger players to assume the leadership role in future has hovered over Bangladesh cricket in the recent years as the four horsemen, the most experienced players — Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah Riyad — approaches the tail-end of their respective careers.

Considering the likes of — Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, and even Najmul Hossain Shanto — who has been in the national set-up for the past four-five years as of now and yet failed to perform on a consistent basis, helped cast an ominous shadow over the likelihood of which next crop of cricketers, and if any for that matter, would step up to fill the void when the seniors finally draw the curtain.

Looking back, there was hardly ever a doubt over the talent and potential from the aforementioned players but their inability to meet the optimum expectations has been the most disappointing feature of Bangladesh cricket, to say the least.

Primarily due to the alarming lack of consistency, the selectors shied away despite having given them enough opportunities. Mithun, for instance, who previously was part of all three formats for the Tigers, finds himself only in the ODI side after being dropped from the Test and T20 side for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.

Similarly, Soumya was also dropped from the ODI team and is considered only for the T20 side while Najmul was included in the Test format and was dropped from the T20 side due to his poor run of performances of late.

For someone like Najmul who is rated highly by the Tigers think tank for all three formats, the young left-hander failed to prove his worth, especially in the limited-overs formats after a string of failures, both home and away.

The 22-year-old, who scored his maiden Test hundred in Sri Lanka back in April this year, will surely look to overcome his weakness by showcasing his talent laced with consistency, in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

"At the moment my focus is fully on the lone Test in Zimbabwe. My aim is to remain consistent and score runs in whatever format I play so that I gain more confidence," said Najmul before leaving for Zimbabwe yesterday.

Soumya, arguably remains the standout player who arrived at the international circuit with a massive potential for his natural free-flowing batting style. Yet the left-hander, despite possessing all the ingredients, lacks necessary confidence and is still far off from cementing a place in all three formats.

"As I am only in the T20 format for the Zimbabwe tour, my aim will be to play well and make a comeback to the other two formats for Bangladesh. Obviously, Zimbabwe is a tough opponent on their home soil but I plan to work on my own game and gain confidence for the road ahead," said Soumya.

For the 30-year-old Mithun, the upcoming Zimbabwe tour could be his decisive mission for survival in the Bangladesh team since he too is under heavy scrutiny, for his lack of consistency, from the team management.

"International cricket is always full of pressure and as a player, you have to absorb all that and perform. I always had to fight for my place so I look forward to maintaining consistent performance for the team," said Mithun.